Giudice, known to fans for his appearances on Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” was transferred in the early morning of Thursday, March 14 into the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after he finished serving his 41-month sentence for tax fraud at the Allenwood Low Federal Correctional Institution, in Allenwood, Pa.

Joe Giudice during his sentencing in 2015 for unrelated driver's license fraud.(Photo: record file photo)

“Mr. Giudice has finished serving his federal prison sentence and was transferred early this morning from the Bureau of Prisons to a facility in western Pennsylvania which houses immigration detainees,” said Giudice lawyer James J. Leonard Jr. in a statement to the USA Today Network New Jersey. “His lawyers and his family are hopeful that justice will prevail and Mr. Guidice will return home to his wife and four daughters who love him and miss him.”

An immigration court ruled in October of 2018 that Giudice is to be deported back to Italy upon the completion of his federal sentence. The government can deport anyone who is not a U.S. citizen if they commit a crime. Giudice was brought from Italy to the United States by his parents when he was a 1-year old and he never became a U.S. citizen.

Teresa Giudice served 11 months in prison for a related fraud conviction. She said she’s staying in the United States with their four children if Joe gets deported.

“It’s like starting a whole new life, and (my kids) have been through so much already,” said Teresa on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” reunion which aired March 6. “So, I mean, I’m not doing a long-distance relationship. I’m just not doing it. You know, I want somebody with me every day. And I know exactly what happens, like, I’m sure he’ll be with other women. It happens. So, if we do the long-distance thing, it’s not going to work. I’d be like, bye-bye.”